The following day, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Under the faint moonlight, the sparks from the clashing metal were particularly striking. Several shadowy figures, moving with ghostly speed, clashed for several rounds before the night returned to silence.
Naoki Senju casually tossed two helpless Konoha Anbu into the courtyard, while Tsunade sat on the corridor steps, resting her chin on one hand, looking quite imposing.
"Speak, who gave you permission to secretly spy on me?"
The Anbu is a special forces unit directly under the Hokage, so who else could it be...? But they certainly wouldn't dare say that, because neither the Hokage nor the Sannin are people they can afford to offend.
" Lady Tsunade, please forgive us. Konoha Jonin Asuma Sarutobi is currently seriously injured and unconscious, and his life is still in danger. The medical-nin of Konoha are helpless, so we have no choice but to ask Lady Tsunade for help."
Naoki and Tsunade exchanged a glance, then tacitly looked away; the plan was proceeding smoothly...
"Oh? But this doesn't sound like you're pleading at all; it sounds more like you're hunting down missing-nin..."
Upon hearing Tsunade's words, the two Anbu Ninja nearly knelt on the ground in fright. Before setting off, the Third Hokage had instructed them to be mindful of their attitude and methods, but who could have imagined that Tsunade would have a ninja with such strong sensory abilities by her side?
" Lady Tsunade, we absolutely did not mean that... Oh, by the way, here is a letter from the Lord Hokage. Please Lady Tsunade a look."
As if grasping at a straw, the two Anbu Ninja eagerly handed over the letter.
"A letter from the Old Man Third? Here you go." Tsunade casually took the letter from the Anbu.
After a cursory glance, under the watchful eyes of the Anbu Ninja, Tsunade casually tossed the letter onto the ground.
The letter itself is not important; what matters is the attitude of the Third Hokage that the letter represents, and the maximization of the human favor of saving Asuma.
"I understand. Go back and tell the Old Man Third that I'll be returning to Konoha in a few days."
The two Anbu Ninja exchanged a glance, somewhat apprehensive, but still 'gently' offered their advice:
" Asuma 'Jonin injuries are not optimistic. I request that Lady Tsunade accompany us to return to Konoha as soon as possible."
"Um?"
"... We understand. Please make yourself at home, Lady Tsunade. We'll take our leave now."
"Um."
The trembling Anbu Ninja fled as if running away, but not completely. The Anbu was initially responsible for recording Tsunade's whereabouts did not leave with them, indicating that they were not on the same mission.
However, it's not a big problem. By taking advantage of the opportunity to treat Asuma, they can announce that the goal of returning the strongest medical-nin in the Shinobi World to Konoha has been achieved.
Waiting passively for Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan is not Naoki's style. He prefers to make all the preparations before things happen, especially when most people in Konoha are unaware of his existence...
Although the commotion in Daimyo Prefecture was quite significant, aside from Chiriku and the comatose Asuma, it was already a miracle that the brains of ordinary people who inhaled excessive amounts of pollen from the World of Flowering Trees were not damaged; temporary amnesia was probably the mildest symptom.
The traces left by Wood Release were all thoroughly cleaned up afterward. Although there might still be Root who slipped through the net, Naoki Senju didn't care too much. He and Danzo were mortal enemies, and even without the Daimyo incident, they would have fought to the death sooner or later.
As for releasing information, putting aside whether others would believe it, the presence of Root ninjas in the Daimyo's residence is inherently ambiguous. It's important to understand that for the Daimyo's safety, Konoha Ninja are not allowed to enter the Daimyo's residence...
Danzo's background wasn't any cleaner than Naoki's, especially Danzo was also a smart man. So the best course of action would have been either to defeat his opponent head-on, such as through politics, or to engage in a real one-on-one battle behind the scenes and take him down in one fell swoop.
However, before finding the 'weakness' of Wood Release, Naoki Senju did not think Danzo would have the guts for a real 1v1 battle, after all, not everyone is as reckless as Uchiha Sasuke.
" Naoki, it's time to go back to Konoha, isn't it?" Tsunade's big eyes revealed a deep reluctance. For Tsunade, a casino that belonged entirely to her was simply paradise!
No need to worry about gambling funds, no need to worry about debt, just throw in your chips boldly, and then lose everything...
Over the course of the past few days, Tsunade played every single machine in the casino, from pachinko to roulette, but unfortunately, she didn't win a single time. However, for everyone else, it was certainly good news to celebrate.
"Yes, but I've discussed it with Guren, and we can relocate this casino to Konoha, provided that Sister Tsunade obtains a casino operating license personally signed by the Third Hokage."
"That's amazing! Naoki, I love you to death!"
Two fair arms wrapped around Naoki's neck, but the expected soft touch did not occur. Naoki's gaze swept over and saw that Tsunade had already chuckled and hid in the distance, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
"Alright, Sister Tsunade, you provoked me first, so don't beg for mercy later."
Chakra gathered at the soles of his feet, Naoki Senju vanished from his spot in an instant like a ghost. Tsunade's speed was equally impressive, and the two disappeared from the courtyard at the same time.
The Anbu Ninja was keeping watch outside the courtyard noticed the two auras disappear and immediately scaled the wall to enter the courtyard, but found no one there. Frustrated, they could only take out a small notebook and make a note of it:
November 23rd, Tuesday. Fourth day of recording Tsunade's whereabouts. The target has been lost for the ninth time. Another attempt to find the target.
Land of Rice Fields - Sound Ninja Village (Under Construction)
After Orochimaru was put into a woman's body, although she experienced some discomfort in the short term, such as physiologically, she quickly discovered the advantages of this body in other aspects.
During the research, this body's attention was more focused than the previous one, especially in terms of the subtle control of Chakra. Although it sometimes faced strange looks from its subordinates, it could effectively avoid this flaw by using the Vanishing Facial Copy Technique.
After finishing his work for the day and dealing with the trivial matters of the Sound Ninja Village, Orochimaru picked up a report on other ninja villages, mainly Konoha and Sunagakure.
When Orochimaru glanced at one of the pieces of information about the Land of Fire, he revealed a smile of great appreciation.
"You killed a daimyo as soon as you returned to the Land of Fire. Truly as you are, Naoki Senju."
As for other possibilities, Orochimaru never considered that, apart from the unfortunate one from the Land of Rain, all the other daimyo lived peacefully to their deaths. Only Naoki Senju, this 'outlier,' would do something so astonishing.
"The winds of the Shinobi World have begun to blow..."
Orochimaru slightly spread his fingers, and the night breeze flowed through them, causing the windmill in the distance to turn...